Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A data communication system comprising: a first security gateway for providing a first secured communications link between a first mobile user terminal and a telecommunications network over an intermediary network, a second security gateway for providing a second secured communications link between a second mobile user terminal and the telecommunications network over the intermediary network, and a redundancy mechanism for providing a third secured communications link between the second mobile user terminal and the telecommunications network over the first security gateway, when the second security gateway fails.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second security gateways are configured to support Internet protocol (IP) communications between the intermediary network and the telecommunications network.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a first wireless access point for connecting the first mobile user terminal to the intermediary network, and a second wireless access point for connecting the second mobile user terminal to the intermediary network.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first and second user mobile terminals are configured to support voice-over-wireless LAN (VoWLAN) communications.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a first base station for converting a radio communication signal produced by the first mobile user terminal into first IP data supplied to the intermediary network, and a second base station for converting a radio communication signal produced by the second mobile user terminal into second IP data supplied to the intermediary network.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first security gateway is in an active mode to enable the first mobile user terminal to communicate over the telecommunications network, when the second security gateway is in an active mode to enable the second mobile user terminal to communicate over the telecommunications network.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first security gateway is configured for maintaining multiple communications links to the telecommunications network, and the redundancy mechanism is configured for disconnecting an established communications link of the multiple communications links connected to the first security gateway in accordance with a predetermined condition.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured for disconnecting the established communications link from the first security gateway if the established communications link is idle for a predetermined time period.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured to monitor idle time periods during which established communications links connected to the first security gateway are idle.
10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured to disconnect the established communications link from the first security gateway when a mobile user terminal associated with the established communications link is detected in a network that does not require connection via the first security gateway.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the telecommunications network includes an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS).
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second security gateways are configured to provide secure access to the IMS.
13. A system for connecting mobile user terminals over an intermediary IP network to an IP service network for providing IP services, the system comprising: a first security gateway for providing a first set of secured channels from a first group of mobile user terminals to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network, a second security gateway for providing a second set of secured channels from a second group of mobile user terminals to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network, and a redundancy mechanism for providing a secured channel from a mobile user terminal of the second group to the IP service network using the first security gateway when the second security gateway fails.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first and second security gateways are configured to support secure IP communications between the intermediary IP network and the IP service network.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured for reducing the number of secured channels of the first set established between the first group of mobile terminals and the IP service network over the first security gateway in accordance with a predetermined condition.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured to disconnect a secured channel of the first set from the first security gateway when the secured channel is idle for a predetermined time period.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured to monitor the secured channels to determine time periods when the secured channels are idle.
18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first group of mobile user terminals are arranged in a WLAN.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured for disconnecting a secured channel established from a mobile user terminal of the first group to the IP service network when the mobile user terminal is disconnected from the WLAN.
20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first group of mobile user terminals are arranged in a radio access network having a base station for converting a radio signal produced by a mobile user terminal into IP signal transferred to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the redundancy mechanism is configured for disconnecting a secured channel established from a mobile user terminal of the first group to the IP service network when the mobile user terminal is disconnected from the radio access network.
22. A method of providing communications between mobile terminals and an IP service network over an intermediary IP network, comprising the steps of: maintaining a first set of secured channels from a first group of mobile terminals to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network using a first security gateway, maintaining a second set of secured channels from a second group of mobile terminals to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network using a second security gateway, and establishing a secured channel from a mobile terminal of the second group to the IP service network over the intermediary IP network using the first security gateway when the second security gateway fails.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising the step of reducing the number of secured channels in the first set in accordance with a predetermined condition.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein a secured channel in the first set is disconnected from the first security gateway when the secured channel is idle for a predetermined time period.
25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the first group of mobile terminals are arranged in a local network, and a secured channel in the first set is disconnected from the first security gateway when a mobile terminal associated with the secured channel is disconnected from the local network.
26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the first security gateway is informed when the second security gateway is restored after failure.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the first security gateway provides information that the second security gateway is restored over communications links connected to the first security gateway.
Unknown
January 26, 2010
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